By REUTERS More by this AuthorThe World Bank has suspended funding for humanitarian and development projects in Democratic Republic of Congo worth more than $1 billion after the government dissolved the project fund without warning, the lender said. The suspension will affect more than 600,000 beneficiaries, including victims of sexual violence, the World Bank told Congo’s finance minister last week in a letter seen by Reuters. A World Bank spokesperson confirmed its authenticity. On May 4, Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi dissolved the structure, the “Social Fund of the Democratic Republic of Congo”, by presidential order and created another public fund. Four of Congo’s main opposition politicians wrote to the leaders of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the African Development Bank last week asking them to conduct an audit of their funds in Congo, saying they suspected misuse.

Source: News 24 May 17, 2023 04:01 UTC